Fireworks!

Fireworks. Amazing how much fun it is, how mothlike we are when it comes to getting as close as possible to the sight and smell and bang of it all.

For those of us who can't wait for the civic celebrations, the Internet has some wonderfully virtual pyrotechnics to play with. There's these "Phantom Fireworks" where you can more or less choreograph your own multi-million-dollar extravaganza in major cities around the country and the world, accompanied by the 1812 Overture, five different firework effects, and a spectacular finale.

If you're as interested in the science as the art of fireworks, be sure to visit the Nova Online Fireworks site where you can play "Name that Shell as you try to learn the different kinds of fireworks.

And, courtesy of the Smithsonian photographers, here are some invlauble tips on how to "shoot" (photographically speaking), your local fireworks display.